SLEEP IS FOR THE WEEK part 7 -- prop your eyes open with matchsticks here

[MegBusset]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Thought I'd poke my head in and say hello. So many posts today I don't what to say!

Welcome back Ginger I'm glad you had a nice visit to your mums. There is noone quite as good at looking after you as your mum.

RoRo I'm sorry you're finding it so tough at the moment. I empathise with you. I have always found it hard working and only do 2 days a week. It is especially tough if you are trying to cope on such a small amount of sleep. I can't really offer much in the way of advice. I know what you mean about struggling to sleep co sleeping. I had to stop with ds1 as I was getting next to no sleep myself and awful back ache. But I am a believer in doing what you need to to get through the tough times. If co sleepings the answer I say go for it.

Beal I hope you manage to sort out what is making you unhappy with df. 2 small children is alot on your plate as it is without the worries of a relationship meltdown.

Hello everyone else. Sorry I can't remember how you all said you were today. I did enjoy looking at your lovely pictures Amber and Beal!

Ds2 slept until 11ish last night which was great . But then he woke frequently until 7 .

I'm having moments of doubt today that it might be because I can't get ds2 into a good feeding and nap routine in the day. But with all the comings and goings with the other 2 can't see how it's possible. Ds2 sleeps a max of 1.5 hours during the day split between about 3 naps. I can't get those darned routines (which I read somewhere can't think where!!! ) out of my head.

hey charlie was wondering how you were getting on as i was putting dd to bed yay for the stretch til 11pm, but for the restlessness after that.
trying to establish nap/feeding routines with 2 others as well must be hard. i struggled with just dd at home but it does get easier as they get older and find their own rhythm. youre doing a great job and working as well. your lo's are lucky to have you

right, i really am off now, had a late night last night, have just helped ds with his homework so am going to shoo him off to bed and read for a bit before bed myself.
night all!!

Hey CM! I don't know how you do it. Three! My god, with one I am pulling my hair out. Good luck with DS2's naps, hopefully he'll settle into something soon. As for the sleeping, argh, seems like it's a challenge that's going to last a while, so I am going to try to get my rest when I can...tonight I'll be in bed by -- look at that, it's already nine. Crap.

I know there's been a lot of activity here, and I want to say thank you to my SIFTW friends for helping me through some difficult days and trials. It means the world to feel supported. I feel a bit like I've taken the thread off of its course, so I am going to try to, oh, I dunno, maybe work more during the day whilst at work?

Goodnight lovelys!

RoRo, we love having you so don't get too busy with all your working and don't worry, we are ALWAYS off course (in fact, we don't have a course )

good night, i'm going to bed to read myself. dh is out at dinner. i'm glad to have an early night and not have to cook for anyone (well apart from me and ds of course!)

and CM - hi! i found you just can't force naps at all. they will come when they come. it does get better. my ds is a pretty reliable napper now, although only if we're at home.

good night tibs, enjoy your book.

ps. i can't remember if you knew about our blog or not RoRo www.sleepisfortheweak.wordpress.com

Yeah CM, Amber is totally on the money about naps. DS used to be a hardened 30-minute napper and now most days has two 60-90 min ones, down to me doing not much in particular except waiting.

Thankyou all for the support re. naps. Must remember my motto. 'Keep the faith, it will happen'!

The thing is it did just happen with dd, and after the colic she was really quite an easy baby. Good nap routine in the day and good sleep at night. It just goes to show that babies have their own differing needs. She would spend lots of time on her mat or in a chair watching what was going on. ds2 kicks up as soon as I put him ANYWHERE (sorry don't know how to do bold!) that isn't in my arms. Same parenting with ds2 = completely different response from baby. .

I too am going to bed now. Have just watched v.exciting episode of heroes and trying to resist next one on bbc3, cos if I stay up that late I'll turn into a pumpkin or something.

Ds2 woke up at 9 (just as heroes had started!!!) for a feed which is not a very positive start to the night so wish me luck. Would like to think its a dreamfeed. (Ha ha, as if.)

Good night all, I am sending out positive sleepy thoughts to one and all.

bed at 7
ONE wakeup at 2:30, fed
LO not tired so put back in cot...LO asleep within 5 min with zero drama

We woke up with the alarm for the 1s time since pregnancy, LO about 5 min later, talking + cooing to herself in cot

!!!!!

for you chibi....fan-blardy-tastic.

we had a good one here to. bed at 7, awake at 1 for dummy, awake at 4 for dummy. awake at 5:30 to start the day!

CM - on the routine front a couple of pointers (if you dont mind)

1. make sure it's a routine and not a schedule.
2. The 'routine' i followed with ds1 and have tried to instill with ds2 is called the E.A.S.Y plan. basically through the day LO will Eat, have some Activity, then Sleep and you've then got time for Yourself. it basically means that they'll never fall asleep on the boob, well hardly ever, helpd them to learn how to self settle and have a bit of predictability through the day. there is no set times for anything just follow the steps! i found it invaluable in both dc, it helped me read their cues quicker and knowing what different cries meant!

on a sadder note i've just seen a thread abot a 10yo not sleeping well at night!!!! and waking early! does it really never end! lol

morning all

chibi for your night my darling. if i see any virgins, i'll throw 'em your way

Charlie - hope you managed to get some sleep as with meg and amber, my dd used to nsp for exactly 30 mins then, ping! she'd wake, she slept for 2 1/2 hrs the other day chin up my lovely, the good times are just around the corner

beal - for your sleeptastic night. hope you sorted things out with df

our night was rather restless dd's woken this a.m with flaming cheeks, so i'm putting it down to blardy teeth (again)
she's got her MMR today as well (yikes!) so am not holding out too much hope for the foreseeable. ho hum

hope there were some good sleepy nights out there

Good morning! Really, good morning!

Chibi, , good for you. All of the improvement gives me hope (but it's such a cycle, isn't it?). You can have my nanny to throw into the volcano. Not a virgin, but pretty damn cute, so perhaps the gods will be pleased?

Tibs for your night, the teething I tell you, it's a monster.

Beal, for your night, not back at all. How are things with DF?

CM, I hope you had a good one...

Amber, for the welcome.

Now, drum roll please...DS slept like a dream last night. I went to sleep at 9:30, rested (meaning I couldn't fall asleep but I was relaxed) until 10:30, then asleep until DS woke up at 11:30, quick feed, and I woke up a couple of times throughout the night to poke DH over to his side of the bed, but DS was fast asleep the whole time!

Woke up at 5:45, DH took him, I slept for another hour.

Total hours of sleep, probably around 5. A record for months!

DS also slept for about five hours yesterday during the day...what's going on there? Growth spurt?

Tibs, good luck with the MMR

Beal, I meant not bad at all. Apparently more sleep has no impact on my brain function...

morning

for roro, chibi and beal for tibs (though thanks for reminding me i need to book ds in for his mmr!!)

another good night here - up at 7.30am and much happier than previous morning. He is happily watching 'night garden' and dancing in front of tv!

Welcome back ginger - glad you had a good time at your mums ( mine lives in Oz)

beal, just re-read posts - did you talk to df?

i can't remember anything else i have to keep scrolling back and forth!

Hope there were more good nights out there

roro - my lovely. fab night!!!!
re. the MMR, am armed and dangerous with medication for afterwards!!

Xposted skirmish. yay for for sleeping lo am so pleased for you lovely. its hard to believe that you'll be going through the newborn thing again in a short time. i reckon you'll get a sleeper this time ....you deserve a sleeper.

lol tibs - funny thing is that ds used to be a sleeper - right up til about 5mths, and even then, i never had to feed him after 7pm...it was just the early wakings!

It's funny - I can't even remember the first few weeks of having a newborn, think I may be in for a shock again!

skirmish - i love the newborn stage, scrumptious!!! you know, as i lay there, holding dd after i'd just given birth, i had this really strong urge to lick her clean .... you cant beat that feeling, just afterwards, theres nothing like it.
youre gonna ace it, sleeping and all, i can feel it

yay, skirmish, bealcain, RoRo and chibi for your good nights!

i'm with tibs though, we had an unsettled night where ds wouldn't slepe in his cot from 9pm, so in with us. he was alright, but very wiggly and woke up to whinge from time to time. the cutest thing was that he slept at one point with his head on dh's stomach. ahhhhh

i can't see how the nights can just be so darn different. there's just no tellling ahead of time what the night is going to hold!

Right you 'orrible lot, please can I join your gang?

My credentials are thus: I was woken every 45 minutes last night. No reason other than that's becoming the max period my LO can sleep, day or night.

You were all lovely to me when I was struggling previously, but on the sleep front things are definitely deteriorating (I'm passed the 3 month magic miracle milestone and still no better, I want a refund!), so if nothing else this is somewhere new to bore people stiff with my moaning and general bleariness.

Do you send out my membership pack in the post? Am I eligible for a badge?

you can have 3 badges love. how horrid. i can't believe people are still using the '3 months' magic number bollocks. it never worked for me either.

Excellent ... one for me, one for LO, one to poke the HV (with her sodding gradual retreat 'it's easy' crap) in the eye with.

Morning all and hi CSB .

for all the good nights!

Amber and Tibs, was with you on the bad ones last night. LO woke umpteen times (including a few during the evening, very rare these days) despite Medised, must surely be teeth, though still no sign of the bleeders this morning. The only consolation was I managed to feed just twice (12 and 4) and did get a stretch from 4-7 (after giving Nurofen at 4). Plus he stayed in his cot all night.

DH keeps on at me to start using the dummy again, which just adds to my stress!

can i poke the HV too? though my life is so much better since i gave up seeing her. when i take LO to get weighed "and would you like to take a number to wait and say the HV?"
would i ever!!

meg, hope some teeth pop soon.